Remember when as a kid you could not wait for Saturday to come because you knew you were going to have a full morning of your favorite cartoons? Put a big bowl of Lucky Charms in your lap, turn on the TV and for the next 3 – 4 hours you were in kid heaven. Life did not get much better than that.
Saturday morning cartoons offered up endless entertainment featuring your favorite super heroes, cartoons come to life and drugged induced creations. Some of my favorite childhood Saturday morning cartoons (and shows) that pop into my head include:
- Smurfs
- Mr. T
- Dragon’s Lair
- Scooby Doo
- Super Friends
- Fraggle Rock
- Snorks
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Alvin & The Chipmunks
- Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (Captain CAAAAAAAVEE MAAAAAAAN)
- Also going to throw in Pee Wee’s Playhouse and the classic Saved the Bell – which by the way is the best TV show of all-time.
There are plenty of other classic cartoons that I didn’t list…yeah Saturday morning cartoons were that good back in the day!
Now that I have kids of my own and cartoons have once again become a focal point in my life, I have come to the realization that Saturday mornings do not hold the same meaning for them – at least from a cartoon perspective. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of good cartoons out there but the best one 
are on through-out the week . The cartoons exclusive to Saturday morning, quite frankly, suck. Don’t believe me? Check out the TV listing for Saturday morning or, if you are brave enough, turn on the TV. Do cartoons like Horseland, Sushi Pack and Veggie Tales give you the same sort of feeling you had as a kid? It doesn’t for me and I consider myself pretty up on what is going on in the kids world.
So why is this the case? Well, the biggest reason has to be the introduction of video games and the Internet to kids entertainment lineup. When I was growing up you mostly had three options when it came to entertainment – cartoons, play with your toys or going outside. Sure some kids had video game setups but it was nothing like you see today. I also think that cartoons have become more about making money then the pure entertainment value. Sure some Saturday morning cartoons made money back in the day but nothing on the level of a Spongebob Squarepants…ever see the yellow sponge being shown just once a week? Yeah, not going to happen.
Oh well, I guess Saturday morning cartoons will be just another memory of my youth lost to the digital age…
What were your favorite Saturday morning cartoons?
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Snorks? Those guys were on some serious drugs.
Saved by the Bell is the best TV show of all time? Really?
I forgot what the website is, but we used to watch all these old cartoons on it all the time. I have to say that you left out some other classics, Jetsons, Flintstones, Mighty Mouse , Pinwheel, Yogi Bear, and Health Cliff. Great Article.
I think the biggest detriment to the Saturday Morning cartoon was cable. When we were kids, there was 3-4 hours on Saturday, and 2 hours each before and after school. Now, there are entire networks dedicated to cartoons so you can get them any time. Add to that the advent of the DVR and you have instant access to any cartoon.
We had 3 channels, kids today have a lot more options than we did.
I am a little younger but I remember the 3 – 5 Monday – Friday being the best. Duck Tales, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons & Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers. Those were the best!
Seinfeld is the greatest TV Show ever… with SBTB coming in a close second!
SNORKS i loved that show…also, animaniacs, bhawe, total classic!
@Chris – classic cartoons yes, but not Saturday morning exclusives.
@JustJon – agree that cable and the increase in programming choices had a major impact
The 80′s was the golden age of cartoon…He-Man and Thundercats anyone?
@bhawe Seinfield was overrated….
Kids today have the attention span of a flea – who wants to sit and watch cartoons all morning when they can play on the computer / XBOX / iPhone / Wii / DS….blah blah blah.
I thought Captain Caveman was a Flintstone character?
BTW – Seinfield is a top 5 show of all-time, not #1.
DEF’SVM’S WOULD LIKE KNOW WHAT HAPPEN SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON’S TURNINGON TV & BOWL OF LUCKY CHARM’S OR OTHER CERAL’S BOWL’S! DEF’SVM’S WOULD LIKE TOO SEE REAL SOON COME BACKON TV SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON’S & THEN TURON TV & FIX BOWL LUCKY CHARM’S OR OTHER’S FLAVOR’S CERAL’S BOWL’S!